Medical Dermatology

Chicago Medical Dermatology Conditions
Hair Loss/Hair Problems

Hair loss is also know as alopecia. Alopecia can be scarring or non-scarring. It is important to have a dermatologist evaluate the affected area clinically. Sometimes a biopsy is required to definitively categorize the type of alopecia and treatment required.

Examples of Alopecia Categories/treatment options

1. Androgenetic Alopecia – this is a genetic condition that can affect men or women. It can start as early as in the teen years. It is characterized by a recession of the hair line, thinning of the midline, and gradual disappearance of hair from the crown and frontal scalp. Females can experience a more diffuse loss; this can start or continue to progress in to the 4th-6th decades of life.

2. Alopecia areata – please see this medical condition under its own link

3. Trichotillomania – a psychological disorder in which a person pulls out his or her own hair; most frequently in children

4. Telogen effluvium – Due to changes or stressful influences on the hair growth cycle, number of hairs simultaneously enter the resting phase and lead to diffuse shedding. The condition is not permanent but should be confirmed by a dermatologist